Diplomatic misstep

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 December 2009, 21:33 GMT]
Professor Rajiva Wijesinha, permanent secretary to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights, appears to have received a reprimand from his Department's Minister after making disparaging remarks on Philip Alston, United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary execution, and for dismissing as "another nuisance," the letter from Alston requesting explanation to Sarath Fonseka's allegations that Colombo may have committed war-crimes. In an interview, Mr Wijesinha calls Alston "a sad man," "an excitable man," and "a bit of an excitable chap." The Sri Lanka Government announced that it has withdrawn Mr. Wijesinha's self-publicized response to Alston.
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Sinhala ultra-nationalist monk backs Fonseka

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 December 2009, 18:08 GMT]
The Sinhala Buddhist extreme nationalist organisation, Patriotic National Centre (PNC) led by Buddhist Monk Venerable Dhambara Amila Thero, Thursday said that it has decided to support General (retd) Sarath Fonseka, contesting in the forthcoming Sri Lankan presidential elections. Dhambara Amila Thero has been opposed to outside influence, both the Western and the Indian, since the Norwegian brokered Ceasefire Agreement in 2002 and his movement has been a key opinion maker of the Sinhala nationalism, exercising the pressure on the Sri Lankan state to nullify the Norwegian brokered P-TOMS in 2005 and to unilaterally withdrew from the Ceasefire Agreement in 2008. Ven. Dhambara Amila Thero was formerly the leader of the National Bhikku Front (NBF), an ultra Sinhala nationalist organisation of Buddhist monks.
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Poor quality rice given as relief food in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 December 2009, 02:48 GMT]
Rice that is distributed as relief food for the resettled IDPs and other needy people in Jaffna district by the government of Sri Lanka is of very poor quality and unsuitable for consumption, according to concerns raised by Non-government Organizations in Jaffna. All relief dry food items are purchased by the Commissioner of Essential Services (CES) in Colombo and sent to Jaffna for distribution, Jaffna Secretariat officials said. The officials further said that they distribute what is sent to Jaffna by the CES.
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Tamils staying beyond 30 days in Colombo should report: SL Police

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 December 2009, 13:45 GMT]
Tamils coming from other countries or from North and East, should register themselves with the Sri Lankan Police in Colombo if they are staying in the city for more than 30 days, Sri Lankan Police Department said in a note to media on Wednesday.
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2 Tamil youths arrested in Katunayake, Vavuniyaa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 December 2009, 12:43 GMT]
Colombo Police's 'Terrorist Intelligence Division' arrested a Tamil youth in Vavuniyaa and another at Katunayake International Airport Tuesday when he was about to take a flight to India.
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SLA, Police cordon, search Maligawatte housing schemes

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 December 2009, 12:36 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army and Police personnel conducted a search operation Wednesday afternoon in Colombo at Maligawatte Housing Scheme, causing tension among the residents in the area.
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Colombo-Vavuniyaa mail train derailed, 20 injured

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 December 2009, 12:33 GMT]
About twenty passengers were injured when the Colombo bound night mail train from Vavuniyaa derailed at Galgamuwa Wednesday night, the Railway control room said. The injured were admitted to nearby hospitals.
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UN Official's involvement in LTTE leaders' killing questioned

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 December 2009, 12:29 GMT]
Following up on independent rapporteur for the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Philip Alston's, request to Colombo to provide details of the killing of LTTE leaders who surrendered the arms, Inner City Press questioned, "given not only the UN's role in the final days of what even it called the "bloodbath on the beach" in Sri Lanka, but especially UN chief of staff Vijay Nambiar's reported role in the deadly surrenders, why Rapporteur Alston has not already demanded answers from the UN itself."
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Fonseka’s comment could restrict aid to Sri Lanka - Minister Peiris

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 December 2009, 12:36 GMT]
G.L.Peiris, a senior minister in the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government, said Monday to Colombo media that the comments made by Sarath Fonseka about the final stages of the war may make it difficult for some officers to travel overseas for training and medical treatment while there could be restrictions on the aid provided to Sri Lanka. Minister G.L.Peiris said that the comments made by Gen (retd) Sarath Fonseka have far reaching consequences including the possibility of some of the military officers being questioned on the events and action being taken against them.
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Dengue on rise in Vavuniyaa, 15 reported dead

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 December 2009, 07:15 GMT]
Health officials in Vavuniyaa say they were struggling to control the spread of Dengue fever in the district. Meanwhile, Sri Lankan health ministry sources in Colombo said the spread of the fever has been brought under control in Matale and Colombo districts, but situation in Vavuniyaa is getting out of control.
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British Minister under fire for Lanka vacation

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 December 2009, 15:48 GMT]
"Ben Bradshaw will be free to travel in Sri Lanka in a way that 100,000 displaced Tamils cannot," said the British daily Independent, adding, "the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, has raised eyebrows by taking a Christmas holiday in Sri Lanka days after the British government condemned the Colombo administration for its poor human rights record." Bradshaw's act follows a month after Gordon Brown blocked "Sri Lanka's attempt to host the next Commonwealth summit," and a week after last "David Miliband told the Commons that there remained ongoing concerns about the island's government after a crackdown on the Tamil population earlier this year," the paper said.
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Restriction on Upcountry Tamils traveling to Colombo to be lifted

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 December 2009, 13:33 GMT]
Tamils of upcountry can travel to Colombo and other areas in the south without any restriction from Monday. Earlier they had to obtain clearance certificates from their respective police station due to security concerns.
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99.8 percent say yes to Tamil Eelam in Canada referendum

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 December 2009, 08:49 GMT]
99.82 percent of 48,583 voters mandated independent and sovereign Tamil Eelam in the poll conducted in 31 centres across Canada, Saturday. The Canadian media and politicians showed great interest in the process of the ballot and organizers expressed satisfaction as 50, 000 was the expected turn out they quoted to media earlier. The poll was officiated by ES&S a professional company in North America that used counting machines. Unlike in Norway and France and contrary to earlier assurances, the ballot took place with complete registration of voters, which limited confidential participation, observers said. Voter turn out is assessed to be between 50 and 65 percent, but no authentic statistics is available on eligible Eezham Tamil voters.
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Jaffna Tamil girl abducted in Colombo

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 December 2009, 04:05 GMT]
Sinnappu Suhintha, 21, a resident of Jaffna, was abducted in Colombo, when she went out hospital where her mother was an in-patient, to buy food, according to a complaint lodged with the Maradana Police Friday by her relatives. Suhintha had come to Colombo to admit her mother Sinnappu Thavamany, 61, in the Colombo General Hospital for treatment.
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IFJ report adds to Colombo's woes on war-crimes video

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 December 2009, 17:05 GMT]
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), in a report released Friday after a fact finding mission to Sri Lanka, notes that the current political rivalry between the two leading presidential contenders is exposing the "abuses suffered by the media during the years of war, especially in its final stages." On possible new flashpoints the report notes the "anxiety in Sri Lanka official circles" when a video footage "purporting to show summary executions by army troops of a group of men described as Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka’s north" was broadcast on Britain’s Channel 4 in August. Despite attempts by Sri Lanka to dismiss the video as fake, a Colorado firm in the U.S, and British Daily Times have independently verified that video is authentic, raising the spectre of renewed calls for charging the presidential contenders of war crimes.
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Tamil Nadu leaders wish well for referendum in Canada

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 December 2009, 23:04 GMT]
Tamil Nadu political leaders Pazha Nedumaran, Ko'laththoor Mani, Aruna Bharathi and Thamizharuvi Maniyan in their statements Friday wished well for the democratic move of Canadian Tamils in conducting a referendum on Tamil Eelam Saturday and urged all Canadian Tamils to make it a grand success. Other prominent leaders like Vaiko and Thol Thirumavalavan have already extended their support to this international effort. Mr. Thirumavalavan has recently called for such democratic exercises in Tamil Nadu too. In the meantime, the move for the referendum is enlightening many Canadians on the history of Eezham Tamil struggle and how the struggle predates militant movements, said a Canadian Tamil who happened to spend some time with Canadian intelligence officials in explaining what was Vaddukkoaddai Resolution.
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Zurich, Vienna, war crimes and Tamil polity

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 December 2009, 07:28 GMT]
By concentrating in an undue way on the choice of a president between the two main candidates seen as war criminals, why should Eezham Tamils ultimately uphold the interests of any of the powers either committed or abetted those very war crimes but show no signs of mending their ways on the national question and are now backing those dummy candidates, argues TamilNet political commentator in Colombo. Instead, Tamil politicians and new political aspirants among Tamils should leave the matter to genuine and spontaneous decision of the Tamil people and should make the best use of the time to concentrate more on laying strong foundations to the emerging national polity of Eezham Tamils to face any eventuality that emerges after the presidential elections, he further said.
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Arjuna Ranatunga extends support to Fonseka

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 December 2009, 10:14 GMT]
Former Sri Lankan Cricket Captain and Gampaha district SLFP MP Arjuna Ranatunga on Thursday expressed support to president candidate General (retd) Sarath Fonseka Thursday. Mr. Ranatunge made this announcement at joint press confrence in Colombo along with General Fonseka and UNP Vice President Karu Jayasuriya and JVP parliamentarian Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
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Referendum to speak for themselves - paper

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 December 2009, 01:39 GMT]
Why after three decades once again a democratic mandate on independent Tamil Eelam? The answer is simple says Tamil Guardian in an editorial this week: The collective demand and popular mandate of 1977 has been studiously ignored and instead all kinds of voices - including the Sinhala state, marginal Tamil actors and important members of the international community - have simply asserted that 'the majority' of Tamils reject independence, whilst simultaneously lending tacit or overt support to the systematic and forcible denial of any space for the Tamil people to freely express their views on this core issue. On their assertion, a war was waged to devastate Tamils. The demand to conduct UN-run referendum was only met with silence. The referenda on Tamil Eelam now being organized by the Diaspora are an effort by Tamils to speak over those speaking for them, the editorial said.
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2 UNP MPs cross over to UPFA

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 December 2009, 13:36 GMT]
Two parliamentarians from the main opposition United national Party (UNP) Wednesday extended their support to the ruling Mahinda Rajapaksa government, a day ahead of nominations for the up coming presidential elections to be held on January 26. Krunegala District MPs Johnston Fernando and Indika Bandaranayake made their intentions known at a joint press conference held in Colombo on Wednesday afternoon.
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